Is it possible to change my lifestyle to vegetarian or vegan? What about my kids? Will I get the nutrients and vitamins I need? What can I eat? What about my social life?
I hope to raise awareness of a cruelty free and healthier lifestyle that will help you lose weight, improve your health and make you feel fantastic. I am a mother of two and have recently become vegan. It has changed my life. Just read, you'll be surprised!

Sunday, 30 March 2008

Advert for 'wild pig meat' on the noticeboard at the local Co-op food store here in Storsteinnes. Described as 'feast food'. I was so close to writing something on the poster or calling the number to ask if I could buy a pig but then I realized they were dead already.

Saturday, 29 March 2008

Hi, todays article is taken from www.learning how.com.au. I like to vary the places I look for information and this was a nice article I came across. Have a nice weekend x

Why Be a Vegetarian When Humans Were Meant to Eat Meat?

While many meat eaters make the argument that humans weren't made to live without meat in their diets, there is actually plenty of biological evidence to the contrary. Our bodies more closely resemble the physiology of herbivores than carnivores: our digestive system shows that our optimal food is plant matter, not meat.

While the human body is capable of digesting meat, eating meat long-term is known to cause many health problems. High cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis are all directly linked to eating meat. Although eating meat infrequently does not seem to significantly raise our risk for these maladies, the typical American diet contains so much meat that it effectively poisons our bodies. Were we designed to be meat eaters? The evidence suggests that we were not.

Why Be a Vegetarian? Why Wouldn't You Be One?

There are even more reasons to be vegetarian, but the most compelling reason is the one that resonates with you personally. Being a vegetarian means that you are removing your support from an industry that produces more waste than all other American industries combined. You are standing up in favor of a healthy life and healthy planet, and you are doing a good turn for animal rights. Being a vegetarian comes with many, many benefits for your physical, emotional, and financial well-being – and no detrimental effects to any of these.

Sunday, 23 March 2008

Happy Easter!I hope it is one that hasn't involved you eating animals and if you have, I hope you might consider making a change, trust me, it is worth it!

Friday was Millers first birthday and we spent it at a new indoor soft play area in Tromsø. We had a great day, Miller learned how to climb pretty high and went on some big slides with Mom, Dad and Heidi. We ate there for a birthday lunch, the kids had french fries and bread from the cafe and some extras we had taken along and after explaining our diet to the kitchen were made some salad baguettes and the vegetarian pate which I now rely on came out of my bag! It was a really great day. Here in Norway almost everything is closed over Easter as it is a BIG holiday here. Most things shut down on the Wednesday lunchtime and reopen again the following Tuesday so to have this place open on Good Friday was fabulous and we all returned home tired but happy!

As to my decision on the baby milk issue, I have started to introduce cows milk for Miller. It is not a decision I made lightly and I so wish there were other well tested options for us now but I don't know enough yet to risk him not getting all he needs so we will try this for the near future and then re-assess later. Thank you for your comments and I welcome more advice anytime!

Enjoy the rest of the holidays and here's a little something you might find worth a look x

If you are feeling like a change after Easter and are not already vegetarian or vegan, please take a look at the below from www.goveg.com. If you are already a compassionate eater, you can ask others you know.

Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days!

Whatever the reason, there's never been a better time to go vegetarian. Sign the pledge to explore a vegetarian diet for 30 days, and we'll send you an e-mail with our top tips on the best places to eat out, our favorite recipes, the tastiest animal-friendly snacks, and the most delicious pre-packaged vegetarian meals.

If you're already vegetarian, you can still help animals by becoming a "pledge recruiter." Click here to ask your friends and family to take the pledge to be veg!

"Chew on This"—in three minutes, learn 30 reasons to go vegetarian.

Here's the link - go take a look, after all, what harm can it do? (Jill)

Thursday, 13 March 2008

So life is all good and well being a freelance arts educator until you reach a point where your money runs out! So now I am spending very little time wondering what food to choose in the store and more time wondering how the hell I am going to pay for it. It's a frustrating time at the moment as I am working every minute I can, either writing one of my two blogs (this one and my childrens novel www.snoredust.blogspot.com), presenting yogababy.tv each week, working on youth projects in the local area (eg www.handteater.com) , trying to build up our art studio (www.barklive.com), taking my exams to qualify as an Alexander technique teacher and looking after two small children. All of which I do not get any pay or funding for.

So what are my options when work possibilities don't pan out, like at this moment in time when a few projects have fallen through? I cannot take a part time job for low pay as that will not cover the nursery school fees needed for my children plus I already work every minute I have and refuse to sacrifice what I already do. The truth is that living in a foreign country is frustrating when it comes to seeking financial assistance. Not one artistic project I have applied for funding for has been accepted. See my handteater page (listed above). I tried to get support from every Norwegian grant agency but preference is given to Norwegians. I cannot get support from UK arts boards as I do not live in the UK. I have to date applied for over 10 seperate projects ranging from starting a theatre school in this rural area, to taking puppet productions to kindergardens, to running workshops on scriptwriting, publishing photography for local youth, making an exhibition of traditional art and taking 10 local children to a theatre performance in the next town. I forget the rest. Just so you know, I have a bachelor of arts as an arts educator with a spesialism in childrens and physical theatre, have a masters in scriptwriting and scriptediting for film and tv, an a trained actor, qualified yoga instructor and english teacher. How can I be in this situation?

There. That's my rant. I needed to get it out of my system and there it is. So lets see what I can add to this blog on a more positive note. Well, maybe it would be fitting to discuss living as a vegan on a budget!

VEGAN ON A BUDGET!

That means one thing to me... BEANS....! All varieties including magic ones are on my shopping list. it's a good thing we all love them. Here is my menu for the next goodness knows how long!

Jacket potato with kidney beans and chick peas in a chilli sauceBaked beans on toastBrown bean and lentil casserole with onions and potatoesBean and lentil soupBean and potato pieBean BurgersBean surprise (That's whatever I have in my cupboards, maybe the surprise is I have run out of beans)

Wednesday, 5 March 2008

Hi! Todays blog entry is a little different because today I am asking for your advice. As the title of the blog tells you, I am a new vegan mom and that means I don't have answers to a lot of questions. Each day is a learning process for me and my family but this topic is one that has me well and truly confused! I have researched the issue and get conflicting refults so I thought maybe the best thing to do was ask you! I know I have non vegans and non vegetarians who regualrly read (and great to have you!) but I also know there are many experienced vegan mothers out there too who could help me with this one...and for the curious I hope you will read any comments that come back to help you too!

So, the topic is weaning. I did begin weaning Miller when he was 9 months old and at the time the advice I found said that he was too young to be put on soya or rice milk and that the only alternative to breast milk was standard formula. So, I began substituting one feed, the another, until I was only nursing him twice a day. I will add that my decision to wean was due to Miller beginning nursery twice a week and my work commitments, I am not a full time stay at home mom. However, when Miller had a stomach illness in the New Year, he would not tolerate food or formula and would only accept my milk so I began re-establishing breastfeeding and was lucky that I was able to do that. it took time and a lot of body contact between the two of us but my supply returned. I am now nursing full time again which is great but things may now need to change...

Firstly, Miller is at nursery twice a week and I find it difficult to express the same as he drinks, maybe I get one bottle where he would have two or three so I cannot store enough and soon my freezer supply will run out. Also I am taking the yoga girls on a yoga holiday for a week in June and the children will stay home with Matthew. So what are my options?

I have introduced soya milk and although Miller turns his nose up at it most of the time he will drink it occasionally. he does not like rice milk and they are the only two alternatives I have here. I could try him on formula again but last time I tried him he threw up. The research I did stated that as a vegan, it was best to breastfeed for minimum 2 years or use formula...it didn't say what to do if you can't do either of these things! I have never tried Miller with cow's milk and don't really want to, it makes me so sad. (See my entires on cows and dairy)

I have also read reports about too much soya milk being a concern...is there any truth to this?

I would really welcome your thoughts on this... At home with Heidi today making flapjacks and destroying the kitchen!